Our Bond Anew
by Synthetic-Skywalker
Summary: If Anakin were truly in love with Ahsoka, the ending would've been completely different. Based off of the season five finale.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is **_**my **_**take on the ending of **_**The Wrong Jedi.**_** I used the actual conversation as well as some of the scene descriptions, but I have added my own work to it. Everything you read is not absolutely accurate, but what I've taken of the episode **_**is**_**, so beware of spoilers. Enjoy!**

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

She'd been through so much in such a short amount of time. It was heartbreaking to watch her run away from me at every moment I'd caught up with her. I had never doubted her innocence from the beginning. I had been determined to bring the one who'd framed her to justice, determined to keep my Padawan safe from whatever cruelties lie waiting for her. She didn't deserve to be cast away from the Jedi. We were her family; _I _was her family.

I stood in the Senate, my heart beating beyond explanation. Ahsoka stood in shackles before me, Padme defending her. I had finally completed my promise to her. I _did _prove her innocence. I knew it was right and she was relieved that I'd helped her. I was disappointed in Barriss for doing this to someone so innocent, so pure. I should've known all along that someone _here _had been behind it. Ventress was changing her ways and I remembered her words when we'd talked earlier. She sneered and told me I had abandoned Ahsoka. The words crushed me as though as building had collapsed over me and had come down on me.

I sat in my quarters, waiting for Ahsoka to come to me for a private conversation that we needed to have. She knew I needed to talk to her. She _knew._ My heart writhed inside of me as I waited moment after moment until that door opened. I lifted my head and looked at her. She frowned at me before I held my hand out, indicating that I wanted her to come closer.

She came to me and took my hand. I smiled up at her and her solemn expression didn't change. "Ahsoka," I whispered, my voice breaking as I tried. She collapsed onto my lap, crying against my chest like I knew she needed to. "You're okay, Ahsoka." I stroked her montrals and lekku, not knowing what to tell her that would comfort her.

I pulled her legs over mine, resting them on my bed. I knew she'd talk to me when she needed to. I wrapped my arms around her and held her, ensuring her that I'd keep her safe. She had her rank stripped and I feared that she wouldn't come to me after the trial in the Senate. I had to leave at the request of the Council and I told her to meet me. I feared that her promise to come was just a sympathy response, but she'd come.

She cried for the longest time and I knew she needed it. After being on the run and having us chase her down and believing no one trusted her all this time, I _knew _beyond words that she needed the release. She knew I trusted her and she believed I was the only one to trust her. She had my support, Obi-Wan's support, and Padme's support. None of us would allow anything to happen. When Padme told me about the penalty of death… I was _furious._ This was _my _Ahsoka. No one could take her from me. I wouldn't let anyone take her from me.

She eventually calmed down and was able to sit up and stare at my face. I gently wiped her tears away, rubbing her cheekbones before giving her a weak smile. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sure it was hard on you, Anakin. I –"

"Do _not _worry about apologizing. It's the Council and the people who should be apologizing to you. _They _accused you. _They _didn't trust you." I held her against me and gently kissed her forehead. "_I _always believed it wasn't you. _I _always believed in you, that you weren't at fault."

She wound her arms around my waist, gently running her fingers up and down my back at a slow pace. "I know you did, Anakin. You were the only one I could ever rely on. I didn't think I'd make it out of this alive, but you…" She trailed off and I smiled, a few tears pricking my eyes before I shut them. She lightly pushed herself off of me and stared at my face, lifting her hand to stroke my jaw. "You saved me like I knew you would. I knew from the start that you wouldn't let me down and you didn't."

It made me feel better to have her see all of this in such a light. I never would've let her rot in that prison cell nor would I have let Tarkin get his way with the death penalty. None of this was Ahsoka's fault. Ahsoka was the sweetest, most amazing girl in the galaxy and I'd made a promise to protect her since the day she'd come into my life. "I love you, Ahsoka. I'd do anything for you." She gave me a half smile and her eyes lit up. "Which reminds me…"

I took her hand and she gave me the most confused look of the day. She intertwined our fingers. At this point, neither of us cared if anyone saw us. She wasn't a criminal and I had proved it. I led her to the Council chambers and she tugged me back when we got to the door. "Anakin, what are we doing?"

"You'll see," I whispered, smiling widely. She looked skeptical, but allowed me to take her inside. Obi-Wan, Windu, and Yoda stood before us with a few other Masters. The smiles on their faces bothered me considering that we'd gotten into this mess as a result of them not trusting her. I took her to stand before them and then I stood beside them. They praised her up and down and I felt like she was getting a self esteem boost after hearing everything, about how much she'd done that made her valiant and worthy of being called a Jedi Knight. She looked at me and I pulled her the second half of her Silka beads from a compartment on my belt before stepping forward. I held my hand out and smiled at her. "_I'm _asking you to come back."

She stood there and stared at my hand, going back and forth between it and my eyes. She reached forward before enclosing my hand with both of hers, rolling my fingers up into my palm. My smile faltered and I stared at her, shocked. The next few moments were a blur as my heart shattered. I thought she'd come back to the Order with us after her name was cleared. I couldn't believe that she was doing this. She said, "I'm sorry, Master, but I'm not coming back," before turning on me and walking out.

The Masters behind me were in as much disbelief as I, but I _blamed _them for this. If they'd once shown even an ounce of trust in regards to Ahsoka, she might want to be part of this '_family_.'

I couldn't register anything until the door came to a close, then I darted out of the room and down several halls leading to the exit of the temple. I was several feet beyond her, but, as soon as I got outside, I found her. "Ahsoka!" I cried out, chasing her down. "I need to talk to you!" She slowed down until finally stopping. I was practically out of breath when I caught up to her. "Why… are you doing this?"

She gave me a look of defiance, before appearing exasperated. "The Council didn't trust me." Her eyes saddened as she crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from me. I couldn't bear seeing her like this. It hurt my heart so much… "So how can I trust myself?"

"What about _me?_" I asked, pain in my voice as I stared at her. "_I _believed in you; _I _stood by you!" My anger flared. I'd done so much to get the Council to trust her, to prove her innocence, and she was giving all of this up.

"I know you believe in me, Anakin, and I'm grateful for that…" She seemed to get sadder with every word she said and it hurt me. "But this isn't about _you._" Her eyes met mine with a painful gaze. "I can't stay here any longer." She looked like she feared how I'd react to this and I was trying to contain myself so much more than I was letting on. She turned away from me and her voice got quieter. "Not now."

"The Jedi Order is your _life._" I was trying to grapple for the right words to say to her to make her stay here. "You can't just throw it away like this! Ahsoka, you are making a _mistake._"

"Maybe," she replied, her voice sounding a little better as I stared at her painfully. She looked assertive as she continued on. "But I have to sort this out on my own without the Council…" The sadness in her eyes grew deeper until she turned away from me. "Without _you._"

I stared at her, trying to keep my tears in. She'd come to me earlier and I'd let her cry it all out. Maybe that was just so she could prepare herself emotionally for this conversation. _Nothing _could've prepared me for this conversation. It was too painful to hear her say she didn't need me anymore. I slowly turned away from her, lowering my head. "I understand," I finally said, not wanting to admit that I did. I didn't want to admit to her that I'd felt this way so many times before. "_More _than you realize," I breathed, closing my eyes. "I _understand _wanting to walk away from the Order."

With our backs to one another, she strikingly responded, "I know."

I didn't expect that from her. My eyes widened and I quickly turned to face her as she began to walk away. I stood there, dumbstruck. I didn't think she'd understand anything. I'd never told her about me wanting to leave the Order. Maybe she just knew I'd do it one day. She had to know that Padme and I had been married at one point. Maybe she'd been counting the days just waiting for me to leave her for Padme. What Ahsoka didn't know is that I loved _her._ I chose her over Padme because Ahsoka and I had so much more in common. She understood me better than anyone else because she acted the same as I did.

Ahsoka and I had similar impulses, similar reactions, everything. She continued walking away from me and I _finally _snapped out of it. I looked down, hurt that she was leaving me. I could feel her pain bursting out of her like explosions on a cruiser. It was _that _intense.

My feet felt like they were stuck in the ground until I finally forced myself to stop being an idiot and _move. _"Ahsoka, _wait!_" I screamed, breaking the barriers that held me back from moving. I darted after her and she slowly, but surely, spun around to face me. I stopped in front of her again and she stared up at me with tears in her eyes as well as a stream running down her face. Her lips were trembling and I could see that she didn't want me to hurt, but she needed to go.

Once again, I acted on _impulse._ I didn't give a damn who saw this. I didn't give a damn about repercussions. I didn't give a damn about _anything _except for _Ahsoka. _I grabbed her face gently, but quickly. I lowered mine to hers and closed my eyes, kissing her luscious lips passionately. I rubbed her jaw as I continued to kiss her. She fought back at first because she was upset with everything that happened as of late. I couldn't blame her. She just wanted me to let her go so she could handle everything on her own and not have to worry about people not trusting her.

I was surprised when her hands held my hips and she began to kiss me back. She practically _attacked _me and I could understand that. I felt her happiness as she kissed me vigorously. I was surprised when she started moving us, not letting our lips part. With my eyes closed, I couldn't tell that she moved us towards the stairs. I opened my eyes as she pushed me down onto my back on the first huge step, breaking the kiss.

I stared up at her, hurt. She smiled at me with more tears in her eyes before lowering herself down towards me, straddling my waist. She leaned forward and continued to kiss me just as she had moments earlier. I held her left montral and her right side gently, rubbing each part with my thumb. My head hit the concrete a few times because she kept lifting me up by pulling back and then by pushing down on me. I didn't care though. I'd take all the pain in the galaxy for her to keep her safe.

I liked being at her mercy. I liked the way she was kissing me. I'd dreamt for so long about how this would feel and I was finally getting to taste her beautiful lips. Her fingers tangled up in my hair until we were finally out of breath and she pulled away from me. She hovered above me, staring into my eyes. I lifted my hand from her waist and wiped her tears away, smiling at her. "What are we doing?" she whispered. "We _can't _do this, Anakin. _You _can't do this."

She started to move away, but I gently gripped her wrist, not wanting her to go. "Ahsoka, I don't care about the Jedi. I care about _you._ I want to be with _you._" She stared at me with wide eyes, not knowing how to respond to that. I couldn't expect her to. Like earlier, nothing would've been able to prepare her for this. "I _love _you," I whispered.

As a reward for telling her the truth after nearly three years of being with her, albeit Master and Padawan, she kissed me as she had before. I loved this side of her. This side was something I'd never seen before. I thought she felt something for Lux Bonteri prior to this and that alone made me keep my distance. I'd never wanted to influence her into staying by my side when she could be happy out there in the galaxy. I'll admit. I was jealous of him back on Onderon. I could tell that she'd had feelings for him and it took everything in me to _not _kill him on the spot. I wanted Ahsoka to love me, not him.

I wanted to be Ahsoka's guardian and protect her from all the evils this galaxy became infested with. I never wanted anything to hurt her. I'd failed her on numerous occasions, but I always wanted to make things right for her. I always wanted her to know she was my first thought after waking up in the morning and the last thought I had before going to sleep at night. Ahsoka brought me to a place where I never thought I could be after losing my mother on Tatooine. I never thought I'd be so happy and alive as I am with this young girl.

She paused in her kisses and I opened my eyes, barely looking at her. "Anakin, I love you, too." She began to cry happily. I knew it was out of happiness because I could sense it emanating from her. "I love you so much. I've always loved you."

She allowed me to sit up and hug her. I rubbed her rear lek and back gently. "I've always loved you, my Snips." I kissed her cheek and smiled, a few tears escaping from my eyes. "I always will."

We separated and she stared at me, knowing that what we were doing was against the way of the Jedi. She'd already told the Council that she wasn't coming back. She'd told me that she wasn't coming back. "Anakin –"

I pressed one of my mechanical fingers against her lips, shushing her for a moment. "Listen to me, please." I moved my finger away slowly and watched her as she gave me all of her attention. "I understand what you said. I hate the Council for not trusting you. I've loathed them for arresting you, for hurting you, for everything. I've wanted to protect you from all of this." I sighed, closing my eyes. "I've never stopped wanting to protect you." I opened my eyes once again, staring at her beautiful face. "If you're not staying here, then neither am I. I'm going with you if you'll let me." I gave her a hopeful look, hoping she'd let me come along with her to wherever she planned on going.

She smiled widely and nodded. "Anakin, I never wanted to leave _you. _I just can't stay here where I've lost the trust of so many people. The Council, the Senate…"

I stroked her cheek lightly and kissing her jaw. "I'll keep you safe from them. I promise. We can leave this place. We can leave the Jedi. We can leave everyone and go somewhere that no one will ever look for us."

Her smile faltered and I gave her a concerned look, not understanding what had just happened. "I can't make you leave, Anakin. That's selfish of me. You've given your life to the Jedi. Don't throw it away. You're so close to becoming a Master."

"There's no point in becoming a legitimate Master if I have no apprentice to guide," I whispered.

"You're really… _willing _to go? You'd leave all of this for _me?_"

I kissed her sweetly before talking again. "I'd do _anything _to stay at your side."

I could see it in her eyes. She'd never _imagined _that someone like me would leave the Jedi Order for her. She never imagined that the Chosen One would give up his destiny, his way of life, the only life he'd ever known. She smiled, tears coming to her eyes once more. I couldn't help my own tears. She had that effect on me. Her beauty paralyzed me and her happiness brought me to tears of happiness myself. She got up and I moved with her, never wanting to leave her side as long as I lived.

She smiled and took my hand, intertwining our fingers. I kissed her one more time before she whispered, "Come on, Skyguy." I smiled, my heart warming at the nickname she'd given me so long ago. We slowly stepped down the stairs of the temple, neither of us removing the lock we had formed with our fingers. This was the beginning of a new life for the both of us. I felt so much weight lift from my shoulders and I relaxed as we continued on.

The time we spent together would be _precious. _I wouldn't waste a moment of it. I loved my Snips and she loved her Skyguy.


	2. Chapter 2

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Anakin and I found a small apartment that he paid for. I had offered to pay, but he just wouldn't let me. He told me that he would take care of me, that he would love me the way I deserved to be loved, and I believed him. My Master had always been a sweetheart. His aggressive and protective side got the better of him at times, but he would always be a sweetheart.

We had no possessions whatsoever. I had lost my lightsabers as a result of the chase from the Clones and my duel with Ventress, who actually turned out to be Barriss. He still had his lightsaber, however, and I knew he wouldn't return it even if the Jedi ordered him to. He was moving furniture around in the apartment. Lucky for us, we were given an apartment that people had recently moved out of and they hadn't taken any of the furniture with them. He shifted the couch and the bed and I just watched him. He asked me where I'd like everything to be and he immediately started fixing the room to be exactly what I wanted it to be. "Anakin," I whispered, resting my hand on his back after he stood straighter and examined his work. He smiled down at me and I continued. "I love you. Thank you for coming with me."

"You're welcome, Ahsoka." He leaned towards me and kissed me delicately. His strong hands held the sides of my face and, as he pulled back, I stared into his beautiful, cobalt eyes. "I love you," he said very quietly. His thumbs, both flesh and artificial, rubbed my cheeks and he smiled beautifully.

I took him towards the bed and we curled up against one another. This was the first time we'd been so close. We had hugged very few times as Jedi, but _this _was the closest our relationship has ever been. I felt a renewal in our bond. It had collapsed while I was on the run, but we had to rebuild it. I knew he trusted me and he knew I trusted him. He knew I was so grateful to him for all that he'd done. He had risked so much to prove my innocence and I had turned my back on him. I felt like a fool for leaving the Order, but that was because I was leaving the one man who never lost faith in me. "Thank you," I whispered into his tunic. I rubbed along his left side and held his hip.

His silence was enough for me. I could feel the happiness emanating from his warm body. He was happy to be away from the Order and happy to be with me. I kept seeing his betrayed and hurt expression when I told him I wouldn't go back to the Order. It replayed over and over, his heart breaking on his face. Right there, I had wanted to stroke his cheek, his jaw, his hair…something. I wanted him to know that he wasn't at fault for any of what happened, but that he was the one who had saved me.

When I had run from him, when I leapt from that sewer tunnel and onto the transport down into the depths of Coruscant, I felt like I had betrayed him. He was my only hope then, and he still is. Anakin Skywalker, the Hero with No Fear, the Chosen One, _my _Master, had given up so much to find me and prove me innocent before my life was taken from me. He looked so happy once he proved Barriss to be the true mastermind. I will admit, I was happy as well, but I knew then that I couldn't go back to the Jedi. The Jedi had turned their backs on me. Even Master Plo. I wasn't sure how much he believed me, but he hadn't shown nearly an ounce of determination as Anakin had throughout the entire ordeal.

Anakin went to great lengths, even seeking out Ventress, to get answers. I would never be able to thank him enough. Tarkin decided that, should I be found guilty, my punishment would be _death._ I wasn't sure if Anakin knew that, but he'd gone out of his way to save me from it. For as much as I resented Barriss now, I would never wish that upon her. If I were to have died, I would have done so valiantly. I knew, and Anakin knew, that I wasn't guilty, but there was the possibility that he wouldn't have been able to find evidence, that I _would _have been executed. Barriss deserves to live out her days in a cell. I don't want the Coruscant guard to torture her, or even execute her. That would be inhumane. Even though she betrayed me, I didn't want her to suffer as I would have for her actions.

Anakin's chin nudged against my cheek gently. I lifted my eyes to look up at him and his smile faltered. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, his voice concerned. His arms were around me and he held me to his chest. I didn't realize how lost I'd been in my own train of thought.

"I was just thinking about how much I owe you," I whispered. I owed him _everything._ If he asked anything of me, I would give it to him without question. This man, this sweetheart, put me above all else, and saved me. I would give anything to show him how thankful I was. He laughed quietly and kissed one of the diamonds on my forehead, stroking my arm gently.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of his lips. I found it funny how nearly every bit of him was _warm._ His heart, his body, his hand, his lips… He was just a natural heat source. "You don't owe me anything, Ahsoka Tano." He kissed my eye markings and smiled again. "The only thing I can ask of you is for you to be happy."

I stroked his cheek and nodded. "I _am _happy. I'm happy with you, Anakin." It was odd every time I called him by his name. I'd done it a few times during my fugitive period and he always seemed to swell with pride as I said it. Even as I ran from him, he liked hearing his name from my lips.

He rolled over onto his back, pulling me on his chest. I giggled as he held onto me. I shifted my legs to straddle his waist and I smiled down at him. He stroked my cheeks. "That's all I want for you. If you're happy, so am I." It was…odd how fast our relationship changed. Just earlier, we were Master and Padawan, but I was the wayward Padawan leaving her Master… Now, now Anakin was my lover.

"I love you, Master," I said, teasing him with the title. He rolled his eyes, but his smile didn't fade. He leaned up slightly and touched our lips together. I brushed his hair out of his face and held both sides firmly as we kissed. He whispered those three words around my lips and I couldn't help but laugh.

Eventually, we just chose to relax beside one another. I laid next to him, my hand on his chest, head on his arm, legs bent and against his thigh. His eyes were closed and he breathed slowly, smiling beautifully. "I never knew how easy it would be to walk away," he whispered after some time. His eyes slowly opened and he stared up at the ceiling. "I believed leaving was impossible, that starting over was impossible." His mechanical fingers rubbed my shoulder gently. "It's so simple and I feel as though I'm free, Ahsoka."

"You are free," I whispered, kissing his jaw. "You aren't bound by the Jedi Order or by anything else. You are free to be yourself with me. We're free to be together." I felt his heart pounding in his chest and it made me very happy. After everything that had happened recently, this was just a happy ending. I was betrayed by someone I claimed to be my best friend, and now I was in love and running away with my Master.

His real hand rested on the one I'd placed on his chest and he gripped my fingers gently. "We're _both _free. No one can stop us now, Snips." No one would ever stop us. Everyone knew I would never come back. I wondered how they would handle their Chosen One drifting off of the face of the galaxy for a little while since we planned to lay low for as long as we could. There was no reason for us to be involved in any Republic or Jedi ordeals anymore. I know it bothered Anakin to be out of the war effort. He loved saving lives whenever he could. He liked feeling that he could make _something _better.

It was one of the many reasons I'd taken on more feelings for my Master. He was very protective of me. He would be extremely defensive when I was threatened or in danger. I was always at the front of his concerns, even though I blamed myself for a lot of our failed missions because he'd been too busy trying to save or protect me. Anakin was compassionate, caring, bold, daring. He was a lot of things that a lot of people only dreamed of being. Anakin _is _a dream. "I feel like I'm going to wake up any minute now and be alone," I whispered sadly.

He tensed beneath me and sat up a little to look down at me. "This isn't a dream, Ahsoka. This is very real." Just to prove it, he rubbed along my montral tips, tracing the stripes all the way down to the lek tip, and then he traced my facial markings and lips gingerly. "See? This is _real._"

The sensations that shot through me were definitely real. There was still that shadow of a doubt that I was only imagining that Anakin loved me. I knew I loved him. I have since I met him. I just…doubted he could ever love me. He was so powerful and had a reputation. I wasn't anything special. I was just…his Padawan. That's all I had been during the war. No one saw me any differently. _Padawan Tano._

No. That wasn't true. I wasn't just his Padawan. Anakin made sure I knew he didn't see me as _just _his apprentice. Anakin gave me a nickname, albeit because of my attitude, but it was a sign of adoration over time. At first, my attitude was pretty…_bad._ He had quite the attitude as well, but it was something we would both become accustomed to over time. We learned each other's personalities and we knew each other much better. He _knew _he was willing to throw his life, his mission, his duties away just to keep me safe and _that _made me feel special.

He put me in charge of a mission that was devastatingly risky in regards to his own life. He had given up our mission to retrieve a holocron in order to save me from being sucked out into space. He'd spent days searching for me after I was taken from him on Felucia. Anakin stood by me through every harsh moment I'd gone through while I was his apprentice. He saved me, protected me, stood up for me, and above all else, loved me.

If I ever doubted that this man cared about me, I would be a fool. No one would give up so much for you if they didn't care, if they didn't _love _you. Anakin did love me. Anakin and I were in love. It was _real._ I smiled and nuzzled my face into his chest. "We are real," I said happily. My life over the last three years has seemed surreal, but Anakin had to be the only thing I could ever see and understand clearly.


End file.
